


Glitch in the Matrix

by SuddenAvocado



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, M/M, Memory Loss, My First Fanfic, Mystery, School, i don’t know how to tag, ill add more tags as i write, pesterlogs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26320312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuddenAvocado/pseuds/SuddenAvocado
Summary: You can’t remember anything.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam (mentioned)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18





	1. [S] Dave: Forget

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick note, none of this would be possible in canon, please keep that in mind.
> 
> Pretty much I had a weird dream and I wrote this at 2am

Your name is Dave Strider, aged sixteen years old, cool kid extroidinare, and that's all you remember. Your in your room, and you know it's yours, but you don't remember how you got there. How you got there from where? You were dreaming. You squint your eyes against the harsh sun, grasping at liquid memories you can't quite recall. You know it's important. Your so close to remembering. You are so fucking close- 

This is bullshit. You sit up in bed, balling up your sheets in your hands. You can't remember anything. You can't recall anything from your entire life. Your hands find your shades on the nightstand next to you. You slip them on. That's better at least. You look around your room. If feels strangely empty, like a blank canvas. Its just your bed and a computer. You feel like things should be there. 

"What the fuck," you slap the side of your head. Ouch. That hurt, but your still an amnesiac. WHAT THE FUCK. Okay. You stand up and make your way over to your computer. No use flying off the handle. You've got this under control. Just a nice Monday morning case of amnesia. Monday? Where did that come from? You know it's a Monday. That's something you know. You let your hands type in the password. You remember your password . You _know _your password .__

__You scroll down your blog. You last updated sbahj yesterday. You remember both of these things. Your totally fine, right? Ha, you definitely made this. Still the coolest shit on the planet. Hell, you even remember making this, right? Yeah, that was just yesterday. No use standing there like an idiot. You know there's something you have to do today._ _

__You get dressed and brush your teeth. Familiar motions, all things you know you have to do. What where you even freaking out about this morning? Nothing. You're fine. You feel a headache developing behind your eyes. You open the door to your room and enter the living room. You're starting to feel worse and worse. Your head feels like there's eighteen fucking horses stepping on it. Pressing their cold hard hooves onto your poor face._ _

__There's someone unfamiliar standing at the counter. Your mind wants to say ‘who they fuck are you’ but your mouth says:_ _

__"Mom," She's your mom? You don't have a mom! No, you clearly do._ _

__"Good morning, sweetie! Are you feeling okay? You slept in a little late, your dad's already left for work! " the mom- your mom- says. Dad?! You squint at her. She feels out of focus. You know she's there but you can't quite make out what she looks like. Must be the headache. "Yeah man, I'm fine," you tell her, shifting your weight from foot to foot. You don't like her. Something about her just feels wrong. Like a puppet with all the parts screwed on wrong or some shit._ _

__You realize you've just been standing there staring at her. You open your mouth to speak but she's already talking. "I made breakfast!" she says cheerily. "Do you want some?" "Uh...no I'm good," you look around the living room. It feels just as empty as your bedroom did. The mom's handing you a backpack. You realize she's sending you off to school. Duh? Of course you have school._ _

__You start making your way down the stairs. Each footstep makes a metallic stamping sound. You can feel it in your head. You grit your teeth. You feel sweaty when you slide into a seat in the back of the bus. You look around the bus, recognizing no one. You can't focus on their faces. You know they're there but you can't _see _them. You hear they are talking but you can't quite make out the words. You feel like there must be some irony in this situation.___ _

___You shift your gaze out the window. The bus starts moving. Your backpack slides into your legs. You tap your fingers against the seat in a quiet rhythm, bored. You miss your turntables. They were there, in your room this morning, right?_ _ _

___Landscapes blur by out the window. You're not sure how long you zone out for, and now the bus is chuffing to a stop. More students pile on, but you ignore them. Your staring out the window, (and you are NOT dejected at all, thank you very much) when you hear a familiar voice._ _ _

___"Dave?"_ _ _

___You turn your head and lock eyes with a familiar flighty broad. "Rose?" you can keep the surprise out of your voice. Why are you suprised? You know Rose at least, unlike all of the blurry freaks on this bus. She sits down next to you. You lock eyes._ _ _

___"What the fuck is happening?" you ask. You halfway expect her to look confused, but she nods like she was expecting that._ _ _

___"I don't know, Dave. I woke up this morning and I couldn't remember anything at all, I can't recognize my parents, and I can't help but feel that something is amiss here. I have a terrible-"_ _ _

___"Headache?" you interrupt, "Me too. This headache is fucking sick man. It feels like someone just hit the back of my eyes with a huge fucking baseball bat, over and over, just beating on me ruthlessly, like 'oh there's Dave! Why don't we cause him immense insufferable pain he's just too-"_ _ _

___"Please. Shut. Up." Rose groans. You fall silent._ _ _

___"Fine, man but your gonna miss out on these sick pearls of wisdom," The bus tilts, taking a turn. You notice that Rose has her own backpack as it slides down the aisle. You wonder if it's full of shitty wizard fanfiction. You wouldn't be suprised if it was. More kids clamber onto the bus. Rose has been oddly silent. Neither of you really know what's going on, you realize. At least you know you aren't batshit insane. You glance at Rose. She's fallen asleep. You feel pretty fucking tired yourself. Something about joint amnesia really takes it out of you. Soon you realize you've arrived at the school. You shove Rose, waking her up._ _ _

___"Oh," is all she says. You both look out the window at the hulking building. "Do you know what that says?" Rose asks pointing at a sign outside the school. You try to read it but the words don't quite reach your brain. You shake your head._ _ _

___"It seems like my mind isn't letting me read it." Rose says, "just like I can't focus on any of the students here, or my parents. My mind isn't letting me see them."_ _ _

___"We are completely fucking crazy, aren't we?" you reply, adjusting your shades. You climb out of the bus after Rose. You enter the building. Some part of your fucked up brain must recognize this place because you make you know there's somewhere specific you have to go. "I have... class?" you say, to Rose. You swing your backpack over your shoulder._ _ _

___"So your just gonna go along with it?" Rose asks, she sighs. Than, "Fair enough I guess. Tell me if you figure anything out."_ _ _

___You give her finger guns before turning and walking to your classroom. Maybe if you just go with the flow your memories will come back? A teacher enters the room, as ambiguous in form as the rest of the people you've encountered, other than Rose. He starts talking but your head hurts so much and you feel so unbearably tired. So you do what any cool person would do and you pass right the fuck out._ _ _

___"Dave?" someone is saying. Right, it's the teacher. You lift your head off your desk, adjusting your shades. "Are you feeling okay? How's your headache? Do you need to go to the nurse?" the teacher is saying._ _ _

___You squint at him in confusion. When did you tell him you had a headache? You didn't, did you? At this point you just want to go to your room and probably pester Rose about this shit._ _ _

___"You know what dude? Yes, take me the hell home," you stand up and the teacher leads you to the nurses office. You stare at the wall, wondering what Rose is doing. Probably figuring everything out. Hopefully at least._ _ _

___Eventually your mom (?) picks you up, but you are silent the entire time, shooting down her attempts at conversation. Something about her is just *wrong*. Your head fucking hurts. You climb the stairs to your room. You notice your turntables in the corner of your room. They were always there, right? You close your door, wanting to avoid your bro. Your bro? What bro? You don't have a bro... Do you? Your headache pounds harder. That dick with the metaphorical baseball bat just keeps going at it. At this rate your not even going to have a head in the morning. You go to your computer, about to pester Rose, when you see something new._ _ _

___carcinoGeneticist [CG] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG]_ _ _

___  
_ _ _

CG: WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING


	2. [S] Dave: Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Formatting pesterlogs is hard! My stupid self spent 2 hours formatting all these pesterlogs. I have newfound respect for people who write long fics with these.

CG: WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING 

You stare at your screen. Who the fuck is CG? You feel like you should remember. 

TG: who are you? 

CG: WHO ARE YOU? 

TG: why are you messaging me if you dont know who i am? 

TG: that seems pretty stupid 

TG: like going up to a stranger just to be like 

TG: yo who the fuck are you 

TG: and their like 

TG: who the fuck are *you* 

TG: pretty fucking dumb 

CG: YOUR PRETTY FUCKING DUMB 

CG: SOME STUPID NOOKSNIFFER IS FUCKING WITH MY MEMORY 

CG: AND I FELT LIKE I HAD TO CONTACT YOU 

CG: BUT I'M STARTING TO CHANGE MY MIND 

TG: ok but who are you? 

CG: WHO ARE YOU? 

TG: dude 

TG: stranger danger 

TG: i can't just tell you who i am 

TG: i dont want to get murdered, do i? 

TG: im much too young to die 

CG: WHAT 

CG:..... 

CG: FUCK THIS 

carcinoGenetist has become an idle chum 

That was weird. You stare at the screen. Something about this guy is really familiar... You must have known him before you lost your memories, seeing as he contacted you. This is all getting to be really strange. 

Maybe Rose will be able to help you sort some of this shit out. 

turntechGodhead began pestering tentacleTherapist 

TG: yo you still at school? 

TG: sitting at a desk 

TG: learning the alphabet 

TG: all attentive and shit 

TG: the teachers asking all these questions 

TG: shooting down poor innocent kids 

TG: firing questions like bullets 

TG: picking off all the weaklings 

TT: Yes, to answer your rambling and longwinded question, 

TT: I am technically still at school. 

TG: oh damn really? 

TT: I managed to leave the classroom though. 

TT: I'm in the computer room. 

TT: I've signed in on one of the class computers. 

TG: wow i cant believe they just let you up and leave 

TG: what a bunch of gullible stooges 

TG: i had to call in sick 

TT: I just excused myself. 

TT: No one seems to have noticed my departure. 

TG: thats cool 

TG: anyway 

TG: have you been contacted by some weird stranger? 

TG: weird angry stranger 

TT: Maybe? 

TT: I'm assuming you have? 

TG: yeah 

TG: i guess he knew me before we lost our memories 

TT: And you don't recognize this person? 

TT: We recognized each other immediately. 

TG: nah but i think he lost his memories too 

TT: And you know he's a he? 

TG: oh 

TG: i dont know how i knew that 

TG: its just my awesome dave sense 

TG: also what the fuck do you mean maybe 

TT: I suppose I was also contacted by a stranger. 

TT: But I don't really know is she's a stranger. 

TT: When I fell asleep on the bus I was dreaming, and part of my dream definitely involved her. 

TG: weird 

TG: does she type like a tool by any chance? 

TT: If you mean typing unusually, then yes. 

TT: Dave, I think we should both try and sleep as soon as possible. 

TT: I think sleeping is helping to return our memories, through dreams. 

TT: I think that sort of happened to me on the bus. 

TG: i slept in class and didn't have any weird ass dreams 

TG: besides what time is it 

TT: three pm. 

TG: im not gonna nap like a toddler at three pm 

TT: Maybe you should 

TT: Maybe you need to unleash your toddler tendencies, Dave. 

You scowl at the computer. Now that you think about it, napping really helped your headache in class. You glance behind you at your bed. The offer is tempting. 

TG: fine 

TG: ill go and get my nap on at three pm 

TG: thats what everyone whos anyone is doing 

TG: all the coolest people nap at three pm 

TG: newborn babies 

TG: demented grannies 

TT: Just like you! 

TG: hey 

TG: no 

TT: Goodnight, Dave. 

tentacleTherapist has become an idle chum 

You don't even bother to take off your shades before lying down and letting the near constant tiredness you had been feeling since you first woke up here (wherever the fuck you are) take you. 

> You’re on the roof. The sun beats down on you and you move to block his sword. Not fast enough. You stumble back from the hit.
> 
> You’re on LOHAC, gears sprawled out before you. Lava sprawls before you. 
> 
> 1S TH13 Y0U? Someone asks, presenting you with the most unbelievably shitty picture you have ever seen. So shitty it is beautiful. "uh" you reply. She laughs. 
> 
> You’re falling asleep next to Karkat, watching some stupid troll romcom on his weird TV thing. The light illuminates his face in the dark. His body is feverishly warm next to you. 
> 
> You’re helping the mayor with can town. All there is to say about it is that it is awesome. 

> you wake up 

Woah. What was that? That was a lot of memories at once. How did you forget all that? You sit up in bed. It's light out, like it's morning. How long did you sleep? It felt like only a few seconds. 

You’re still reeling from what you think was way to much memories returning at once to your poor, abused head (your life is weird as fuck) when your computer chimes. Looking around, you realize that your totally sweet posters are back on the wall. Your photography dark room is back too. You are almost certain that those were not there before. Your convinced. 

The only logical explanation is that this reality is influenced by the state of your memories. Is Rose even real then? Is any of this real? You decide not to get into that shit at the moment unless you want your brain to explode. That would really be tragic. You should really contact Karkat. 

You sit down in front of your computer. 

grimAuxiliatrix began pestering turntechGodhead 

Another one? You wonder if this is the one Rose had been talking about. You sort of remember her. 

GA: Hello Dave 

TG: sup 

TG: im gonna need a reminder on who you are 

GA: I'm Kanaya Maryam 

GA: Rose Told Me To Talk To You. 

TG: yeah i kind of remember you 

TG: we all were living together right? 

TG: on like some weird ass meteor 

TG: it was me, rose, karkat, you 

TG: uh 

TG: terezi, someone else i think 

TG: and a murder clown 

TG: you guys are all weird and grey and shit right 

TG: you've got those weird little horns 

TG: cosplayers would really have a field day on you guys 

TG: anyway 

TG: do i get a sticker for my amazing memory or what 

GA: Yes You Are Correct 

GA: I Think We Will Likely Have Our Memories Returned To Us Very Soon, At The Rate We Are Remembering Things. 

TG: hey wait 

TG: you were rose's girlfriend, right? 

GA: Oh 

GA: Um 

GA:... 

GA:........ 

GA: Anyway 

GA: I'm Assuming You Tried My Method Of Sleeping To Regain Memories? 

TG: yeah rose told me to do that 

TG: i guess you told rose to say that 

GA: That Would Be Correct. 

TG: what time is it 

TG: how long have i been sleeping 

GA: I Do Not Know What Exact Time It Is For You 

GA: But I Think You Have Been Sleeping For A While 

GA: On Earth It Would Probably Now Be Considered Morning 

GA: I Have Been Asleep As Well 

GA: It Helps With The Pain In Your [skull] 

TG: oh damn your right 

TG: thats a relief 

GA: I Have To Go 

TG: k 

grimAuxiliatrix has become an idle chum 

What were you trying to do before? Right, talk to Karkat. Angry little dude. You wonder if he remembers you now. 

turntechGodhead began pestering carcinoGeneticist 

TG: hey 

TG: you awake? 

TG: or are you sleeping 

TG: got those little memory miracles popping behind your eyes? 

TG: remembering everything at last 

CG: I'M AWAKE. 

CG: IF BY "GOT THOSE LITTLE MEMORY MIRACLES POPPING BEHIND YOUR EYES" YOU MEAN "REMEMBERING THE MISERABLE NOOKSTAIN THAT IS DAVE STRIDER 

CG: THAN YES I DO. 

TG: rejoice 

TG: karkat remembers 

TG: oh i meant to ask kanaya 

TG: where the fuck are you guys? 

CG: WE ARE ON ALTERNIA 

CG: OR AT LEAST SOME WEIRD MEMORYLESS VERSION OF ALTERNIA 

CG: I THINK OUR SURROUNDINGS ARE INFLUENCED BY Our MEMORIES. 

TG: wait 

TG: so your on some alternate alternia right? 

CG: THAT'S WHAT I WAS SAYING FUCKASS. 

TG: so your on altalternia 

TG: alteralternia 

CG:......... 

CG: I'M GONNA PRETEND YOU DIDN'T SAY THAT 

TG: alright 

TG: so 

TG: this is gonna be a weird question 

TG: but i suppose this whole situation is weird 

TG: you have to ask a pretty weird question for it to be considered weird at this point 

TG: like at that point you've passed the point of no return 

CG: GET TO THE POINT STRIDER. 

TG: do you have like a weird fake mom? 

CG:........ 

TG: i mean luscus for you i guess whatever 

CG: MAYBE 

CG: I 

There's a knock on your door. 

“Honey?" a voice calls out. 

TG: speak of the devil 

TG: i'll talk more later 

turntechGodhead has become an idle chum 

You open your door. Sure enough the mom is standing there. The weird fake creepy ass mom. 

"You're gonna be late for school, come on," she says pushing your backpack into your hands. Where did she even get that? 

"No thanks, man. I'm just gonna stay home sick today." you say. None of this is real is it? You don't have to listen to her. 

"This isn't negotiable, Dave." she says. Her tone is firm. She places her hand on your back, pushing you towards the stairwell. You really hope she isn't going to push you down the stairs. You've had enough of that for a lifetime. 

Can you get out of this? You look at her face. Her smile is taught, but her eyes are blank. You decide against messing with this shit right now. You can probably just leave school again like you did last time. 

With a sigh you lift your backpack onto your shoulders, and make your way down the stairs. You look back and the mom is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s chapter two! This will probably be around 3 chapters. I hope you enjoyed it! This definitely isn’t my best work but I enjoyed writing it. I’m still learning.
> 
> Feel free to comment :D
> 
> (If there’s any mistakes let me know)

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I’ve ever written! I don’t like how it turned out but I’m posting it anyway. I feel like everyone is super out of character :/. Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think in the comments.


End file.
